Guided suspension means for bicycle steering wheels



1953 A. P. DOUGLAS ET AL 2,669,455

GUIDEDSUSPENSION MEANS FOR BICYCLE STEERING WHEELS 7 Filed March 9, 19513 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS. ALVIN R DOUGLAS L'ONAkD J warms BY 0%);Hie/46 v ATTORNEY N 1953 A. P. DOUGLAS ET AL 2,660,455

GUIDED SUSPENSION MEANS FOR BICYCLE STEERING WHEELS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed March 9, 1951 INVENTORS, ALVIN 0006448 (50/7830 :1. WATEQS BYam/ezzmz ITTOQNEY 24, 3 ,A. P. DOUGLAS ETAL 2,660,455

GUIDED SUSPENSION MEANS FOR BICYCLE STEERING WHEELS Filed March 9, 19513 Sheets-Sheet 3 I I? 5 I! I .1 f 86 47 5 :11 9 58 84 2 INVENTORS, 1 8/4m 2 oouams 87 BY Mom/e04 WALTERS li 014M fl/wa 4 TTOE/VEY Patented Nov.24, 1953 UNI TED STATES O-FFI CE GUIDED SUSPENSION MEKNS-EFOR'BICR GLESTEERING WHEELS Alvin ,1. Douglas, levelapa, and. Leonard;Wal'ters,;SliakerjHeights, Obit-,aslwmsitclhlMiirl-ay-Ohio"'Maniifacturilfg Qoinpany, CIeve= land; Ohio; 'acofporatiomof Ohio ApplicatiomMarchB, 1951,--SerialNo.:214;775

wheel axle-beingsecuredby axlenuts to-the leverlinks. It hasbeen foundthat a structure of this type has certain disadvantages, especially formounting the front. wheel of bicycles having.

the ordinary type of bicycle front wheel :axle,

hub and bearing structure. vAfter a short periodofuse. with this type ofstructure,- the bicycle tends to develop-a. front wheel wobbleapparently due to loosening of the..nuts1 securing the axleto the leverlinks, for, when the nuts are taken up, the wobble disappears, However,after further use, the wheel: wobble again appears, and take-upof thenuts-isieifective only two-or three times in curing the wobble, whichthereafterv becomes permanent. Such wobblinginth'e-steering wheel-is,vof. course, quite'objectionable';

The present invention substantially eliminates" this difficulty.Thedevelopment. of-such. wobblehas been found. to be due, in fact,.-tostretching of the axle, which seems to arise in the following mannerWhen the. wheel :passesover anobstacle, in addition to the upwarddisplacement allowed the wheel by the pivoting of the-lever links on thefork prongs-against the. strut structure coupled to the. sprinaa lateraltiltingof the wheel may result fromlateral swaying of the strutstructure, or from an unequalrise of the lateral members of thestrutstructure.

Hence, one of the objects=ofthisinvention the provision of a springsuspension. structure particularly for. bicycle frontwheelspwhichovercomes the tendency-to develop wheelwobblerand.

yet is. simple, inexpensive, adapted to masslprm duction manufacturingmethods,-and.of. neat, compact appearance.-

Other objects andadvantagesof the inventionwill be apparent fromthefollowing descriptionof apreferred form of, the-invention, referencebeing made. to the accompanying: drawings wherein:

'Fig. '1 is a fragmentary side viewoffla. bicycle showing the frontwheel assembly; s Fig. 2. is alfr'on't view, alongline. 2-2 ;of;l lig. l

of the spring. mounting structure and adjacent.

structures, certain parts being broken away;

. 2 fFig 3 is a view in section taken substantially a1ong,the Iihes3 3ofFig. 2

fFig. 41s. a view taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1;

I is a view, similar to Fig.1, of an assembly embodying another form ofthe invention and 6 is a fragmentary front view of the assembly showninfFig. 5 taken along the line 6-6.

In the. form of the. invention of Figs. '1 to 4 thereais. shown thefront portion. of a bicycle havin a frame iii-with steering postHinwh-ichis journaled in the usual manner steml2- of a steering. forkmember I3 provided with two fork prongs l4 extending, downward fromfork-yoke.

[5 attached to the bottom of the fork stem .l-2. A

fender. [Eds securedr betweent-fork member prongs Ito-the underside ofyoke [5 by a screw I-l" whilehandle bars-(not shown) are attached in thusual manner to the upper part of stem H. The wheel itself is not shownin the drawings,

but=-in Fig, l the normal and upwardly deflected positions of the wheelperimeter are merely indicated by the curved lines within the mudguardwhichare respectivelysolidand dashed. A-heav-y gauge sheet metalstamping. it having an aperture. through which stem l2 extendsis-attached at yoke l5 and it extends forwardly above the fender toserve. as arigid. base member for a helicaltension-spring 2i To conferrigidity, the stampingfis formed withra peripherally continu-v ousdownwardly extending-flange 22. The rea-r end ofthe stamping,including-the flange portion,

is shaped to confo'rm closely to the adjacent top andside surfaces ofyoke l5 and prongs when the base member is slid over the stem intoposition during assemblyto aiford a sufficiently large bonding areav forbrazing the stamping securely to theiforkrmember. The: spring 21 is heldin position on the upper forward surface of the base member 19, by anut. and bolt 23 passed through a loop inI-the bottomturn-of the-springand through the base; member It; The upperend-of 21 and. nut and bolt-25' totheyoke .portion of an inverted U-shaped'strut member 2 havinglegs 2 8 extending downwardly oneither' side of the fender and frontwheel. The clamp -24, formed by. stamping and folding, heavy sheetnietaL'. is shaped along the fold to receive. and closely embrace.theyoke portion of the -U -shaped strut; member 21 and is provided withaligned boltghol's. in. the f'ro'nti and back portions-3D and;

held within the clamp 24 by the nut and 'bolt the. spring is anchored by:mea-ns of a'strut-clamp;

A loop the. top-end of thespring is 25. Spacing washers may be providedon either side of the loop as needed. On the rear portion 3| of the clipthere are provided on each side pivot socket structures 32, formed bycurling a projection on the stamping into circular shape, for theattachment of a strut restraining and guide member 34. Member 34 isformed from heavy metal rod in a roughly U-shape with the legs thereofcurved downwardly and having the ends 35 bent inwardly to be journaledin the pivot socket structures 32 of the strut clamp 24. This strutguidin member is pivotally secured along a straight yoke portion 35thereof to the upper end of stem post 12 by a clamp structure 31attached to the upper end of stem l2 above the steering post. This clampstructure comprises lower and upper stamped metal plates 38 and 39provided with apertures through which the upper end of the steering stem[2 projects, a nut .49 being provided on stem l2 to hold the twostampings in place. The forward end of the lower plate is provided witha transverse trough 4| in which the yoke portion of the strut guide issupported, while the forward end 42 of the upper member curvesdownwardly over the yoke portion of the strut guide member and the lowerplate to hold the guide member in place. The upper plate 39 is alsoprovided with downwardly extending flanges 44 on either side to keep thetwo plates from shiftin relative to each other.

To mount the wheel, a pair of lever link memhere 46 adapted to receivethe ends 47 of the wheel axle are provided, the forward ends 48 of whichare pivotally attached to the inner side of the respective fork prongs Mwith the rear ends 49 similarly attached to the lower end of thecorresponding legs 28 of the strut member. To the underside of theforward end of the fender is secured the yoke portion of a U-shapedfender brace having the lower end of each leg 52 attached to the outsideof the corresponding fork prong, while a rearwardly extending U-shapedfender brace 53 has its yoke portion attached to the outside of thefender and the forward ends of its legs 54 pivotally secured to the linkmembers commonly with the strut legs 28. A bolt 55 passed through theyoke and fender, and secured by a speed-nut type fastener 56 provides aflexible attachment of the brace to the fender. The form of the linkmembers and manner of attaching thereto these several structures isclearly shown in Figs. 1'

and Each link member is generally crescent shaped, and is provided withbolt holes at the forward and rearward ends 48 and 49 which arelaterally oifset, respectively, inwardly and outwardly.

The downward bow of the crescent is provided with an upwardly andrearwardly directed slot 58 for the reception of end 41 of the wheelaxle, held therein by axle nuts 59. The front end of each link 45 isplaced inside the lower end of the corresponding fork prong l4 and bolts6i are passed through the links, the fork prongs [4, the lower end oflegs 52 of the forward fender brace 5i, and washers B2 and held by nuts83 to serve as pivots for the links.

A nut 65 and bolt 66, passed successively through the rear end 49 ofeach link, washer t1, sleeve 58 in the forward end of fender brace leg54, lower end of strut leg 28 and washer cs, holds the link, lowerfender brace 53 and strut leg 28 together in pivotal relation on eachside.

The dashed lines in Fig. 1 represent the limiting position which thewheel and the. several parts of the shock-absorbing spring suspensionstructure can attain when the wheel passes over an obstacle. Theshoulders 10 and H formed by ofisetting the ends of each link member 46may serve as stops in coming against the edge of the fork prong I4 whenthe wheel is displaced upwardly. By the provision of the strut memberguide 34 pivoting on the fork structure and pivotally attached to thestrut 27 through pivot sockets 32, a means is supplied to constrain thestrut member 21 to move upwardly without lateral tilting during shockabsorbing action, which in turn ensures parallel movement of the linkmembers to prevent tilting, and consequent stretching, of the axle.

In addition to the mechanical functions performed in the wheelsuspension or shock absorbing mechanism, the several parts may be shapedto have a decorative effect individually and in ensemble. Thus, forexample, as may be seen in Figs. 1 to 4, a design may be formed in thestamping of upper plate 39, the base member [9 is shaped to conform tothe fender lines and to the tension spring base, and the strut guide 34is curved rather than having straight legs of harsher visual effect.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein likenumerals are used to designate parts like to those of Figs. 1 to 4, thegeneral construction is basically the same as in the first form. Here,however, the prongs Id of the fork member are substantially straight,and link members extend forward therefrom, and swing upward in front ofthe prongs when displaced in the shock absorbing action. The inwardlyoffset and perforated rear end 8i of each link member is pivotallysecured to the inside of the fork prong end by a nut and a bolt 82 whichalso hold the corresponding leg of the rearwardly extending U-shapedfender brace 84. Each end 41 of the axle is held in the axle slot 58 byaxle nuts 53 as in the first form. The perforated forward end 86 of thelink member 80, which here is not offset, is pivotally coupled to thebottom of the corresponding leg 28 of the shock-absorber strut member2'! by a nut and bolt 86. The shoulders 81, formed by the offsets, incoming to bear against the front edge of the fork prongs, here serve asstops limiting the upward deflection of the wheel suspension structure.

The platform-like spring base member 88 is essentially the same inconstruction, function and manner of attachment to the wheel fork memberas in Figs. 1 to 4. However, as here shown, a forward extension 89 isprovided to mount accessories, such as a, spot light. Likewise, thestrut clamp 24, the strut guide member 34, and the clamping plates 38and 39 for the yoke of the strut guide are all formed and connected likethe corresponding parts in Figs. 1 to 4 as above described. In place ofa single spring of Figs. 1 to 4, secured directly to the spring basemember and to the spring clamp, there is provided a pair of springs 9|disposed side by side. The lower and upper ends of each of these springshave a close wound portion 92 into which are screwed lower and upperexternally threaded plugs 93 and 94, each plug having a threaded centralbore and a pair of recesses 95 for the application of a wrench. Thetension springs 9| are each secured to the base member 88 by a bolt 96extending through the base member into the central bore of each lowerplug 53, while the upper end of each spring is secured to a transversespring anchor plate 91 by a bolt 98 threaded into the central bore ofeach upper plug 94. The strut clamp 24 is secured to the yoke of strutmember 21 and the spring anchor plate 96 by a nut and bolt 25 passedthrough the strut yoke clamp and the upwardly extending perforated lugsformed by bending extensions 99 and I00 of the anchor plate to bring theends adjacent.

It will be understood that other forms of the invention may be adopted,falling within the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. For a bicycle and the like having a forked member between the prongsof which a wheel is disposed and having a fork stem member journaled inthe steering post of the bicycle, a spring suspension structure for thewheel comprising av platform-like base member rigidly attached to saidforked member and extending therefrom above the wheel, tension springmeans having a lower end secured to said base member, an invertedU-shaped strut member having its legs straddling the wheel, a strutclamp secured to the yoke portion of said U-shaped strut member and alsosecured to the upper end of said spring means, a strut guide member ofgenerally U- shape interposed between said strut member and said forkedmember to restrain the strut member from lateral deflection, said guidemember having a yoke portion pivotally attached to the forked member andlegs having laterally bent ends adapted for insertion in pivot socketsprovided on said strut clamp, means carried on the said fork stem abovethe steering post for pivotally supporting the yoke portion of saidguide member, and a pair of link members each pivotally interconnectingthe end of one fork prong and the end of a corresponding leg of saidstrut member, said link members being substantially parallel and havingthe wheel mounted therebetween.

2. For a bicycle and the like having a forked member between the prongsof which a wheel is disposed and having a fork stem member journaled inthe steering post of the bicycle, a spring suspension structure for thewheel comprising a platform-like base member rigidly attached to saidforked member and extending therefrom above the Wheel, tension springmeans having a lower end secured to said base member, an invertedU-shaped strut member having its legs straddling the wheel, a strutclamp secured to the yoke portion of said U-shaped strut member and alsosecured to the upper end of said spring means, a strut guide member ofgenerally U- shape interposed between said strut member and said forkedmember to restrain the strut member from lateral deflection, said guidemember having leg ends bent into alignment with each other and a yokeend portion parallel to said leg ends to provide parallel pivot portionsat opposite ends of the guide member, means carried on the said forkstem above the steering post and means on said strut clamp for pivotallysupporting the said pivot portions of said guide member, and a pair oflink members each pivotally interconnecting the end of one fork prongand the end of a corresponding leg of said strut member, said linkmembers being substantially parallel and having the wheel mountedtherebetween.

ALVIN P. DOUGLAS.

LEONARD J. WALTERS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,132,829 Cobb Mar. 23, 1915 1,527,133 Harley Feb. 17, 19252,537,679 Kraeft Jan. 9, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date607,559 Great Britain Sept. 1, 1948 892,635 France Jan. 13, 1944

